How is the Acsell Product Filters plugin so much faster than all the other filtering plugins?
Product filters are quite complicated as typically a website needs to query a server to make requests for search results or to refine a set of products using filters. After the user applies a filter on the website, a query is sent to the server to ask which products match the criteria. The server then tells the website which products to display and the product counts for the remaining filter options.
This traditional method requires server calls, and usually a page refresh, where the website is updated to show the relevant products.
Acsell have developed a better solution where the product information is provided up front to the browser and is cached. This means a version of the information is basically saved for use by the browser. When a user applies a filter on the website, JavaScript is used to query this cached information and apply the filter almost instantly on the website. The saved information is updated regularly so the results remain accurate.
Not only does this speed up the filtering operation, it also removes the requirement for multiple server calls and for the page to refresh. This typically means that the Acsell Product Filters plugin can apply a filter in a fraction of a second, whilst the traditional method outlined above would typically take 3-4 seconds to complete.
This is better for your users and also the retailer, as it makes it quicker for users to find the products they are interested in. Slow sites drive customers away whereas fast sites typically have much higher conversion rates. It is also a more environmentally friendly solution as it reduces the load on the server.